Lack of Oversight with Schneider Regional Medical Center

I'm sure by now you've heard of the egregious violations of the Board and Leadership at the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas. More than $1.8 million of taxpayer money was transfered to the personal account of Rodney Miller between March and November of 2007. Between 2002 and 2007, Mr. Miller was paid $1.3 million more than his allotted for in his contract. Other hospital executives, Amos Carty, Jr. and Peter Najawicz received overpayments of $456,000.00 between 2005 and 2007.

This is ridiculous! These people milk our community at the expense of Virgin Islanders. But, what's worse about the situation at Schneider Regional Medical Center is that the Hospital Board was complicit in these activities...contributing to the cover-up with blatant deception. Here's what the Daily News had to say:

While board members represented Miller's salary was $150,000 as reported on his NOPA, his salary and perks actually had mushroomed to $1.07 million by 2007, the audit states.

The audit report on the situation at the Schneider Regional Medical Center stated the following:

The District Board further perpetrated the secrecy of the executive compensation plans by omitting from District Board minutes, their decision to award lucrative compensation packages and overpayments, and the effect of those payments on the Medical Center's limited financial resources

So, apparently these actions had the support and cooperation of the Hospital Board. The buck would stop with the Hospital Board if this was a private hospital. But, the Schneider Regional Medical Center is not private.

According to the St. Thomas Source:

The medical center averaged losses of $25.4 million annually from 2002 to 2006. Based on "faulty and misleading information" provided by board members and hospital executives, the Legislature appropriated an average of $21.8 million to help with operations and personnel costs, the report said.

This $21.8 million was an annual amount appropriated by the VI Legislature, from taxpayer funds. The Legislature should have a vested interest in seeing how their investment - how taxpayer dollars - are being managed. So, where's the oversight?

Not to mention that the Governor's office should have been on top of this. But, ultimately the Legislature is entrusted with the responsibility of representation. They are the ones who are supposed to protect us from government infringement. Part of that infringement is a mismanagement of trust. And, that mismanagement of trust is equated to a mismanagement of the people's funds.

Senator Baptiste (Cmte. on Health, Hospitals and Human Services), Senator Nelson (Cmte. on Finance) and Senator Malone (Cmte. on Government Operations and Consumer Protection) - we needed to have hearings on the hospital before this mess happened! While the hospital was obtaining annual appropriations of $21.8 million, the Hospital Board gave Miller what the audit report stated was an "excessive and fiscally irresponsible" compensation package.

We need accountability. Rodney Miller's compensation package did not become "excessive and fiscally irresponsible" only after the audit. It was always excessive and irresponsible - especially for an agency in financial turmoil! And, we should have questioned this from the jump. Had this been done, we could have prevented our community from being pimped and raped.

Ultimately, the fault lies with us - Virgin Islanders. We are the ones who must hold these people accountable. The defense of our people and our community starts with us. Let this be the beginning.

Virgin Islands for the Virgin Islanders...those at home and those abroad!